


that biting sweetness

by emblems



Category: Free!
Genre: + minty kisses, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, rin and haru are eternal competitors, that's it that's the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 10:24:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2847599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emblems/pseuds/emblems
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin isn't entirely sure what Haru's intentions are, leaving all these peppermints around for him to eat, but when it comes to Nanase Haruka his will has always been weak. So he bends to Haruka's wishes.</p><p>Haruka just wonders when Rin will get the hint.</p>
            </blockquote>





	that biting sweetness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



It starts when Rin wakes up. His eyes open slowly, and he becomes aware of—

Well, it’s what he doesn’t become aware of that makes his brow furrow. Usually he wakes up with his nose full of Haru’s hair, or with Haru’s legs tangled in his, or with Haru’s hands wandering across his body, or—something, at least.

This morning there’s nothing but cold air. Rin rolls over to squint at the empty spot next to him on the bed, as though it will yield answers.

He sits up, and upon closer examination he spots a peppermint sitting on the pillow. Frowning, he picks it up and twists it in his fingers, unsure as to how it ended up there and for what purpose.

He shifts to slide out of bed and moves into the kitchen, where Haru is making breakfast.

“Thought you’d be at the pool,” Rin murmurs, coming around to lean against the counter next to Haru. He starts to say something else, but he draws up short.

There’s a candy cane sticking out of Haru’s mouth. Unconsciously, Rin’s fingers tighten around the peppermint in his hand, making the plastic squeak.

Haru’s eyes flick to the candy, and Rin can swear he sees Haru’s lips twitch upward for just a moment.

With his free hand, Haru pulls the candy cane from his mouth. He licks his lips. “Are you going to eat that?” he asks.

Rin should ask why on earth Haru is sucking on a candy cane while he cooks his mackerel, should ask how Haru thinks that could ever be an enjoyable combination.

Instead he narrows his eyes. There’s something lurking underneath Haru’s unaffected expression—a glint in his eyes. A challenge.

Rin doesn’t understand why, but he’s a creature of habit and he does not let challenges go unanswered.

Certainly not from Nanase Haruka.

Rin unwraps the peppermint with a certain kind of aggression, popping it in his mouth without another word. He sucks on it with brows arched— _happy now_?

Haru just smiles and puts the candy cane back in his mouth.

Rin rolls his eyes, trying not to show how perplexed he is. Pushing off the counter, he mutters something about it being too early for this, and starts the coffee pot.

* * *

Given Haru’s eccentric nature, Rin should have realized that there was something to that initial challenge. That there was more to it.

But he brushed it off as a one-off. So that the peppermints continued—it should have been no surprise at all.

Rin finds them in his gym bag, in the bathroom next to his toothbrush, next to his silverware at dinner. Each time he’s met with an expectant Haru, who won’t look away until Rin’s unwrapped the peppermint and started sucking. And, each time, he’s met with Haru’s hooded eyes and just the barest hints of a smile. Though, Rin is starting to wonder if there’s something he’s missing, if there’s something else Haru expects.

But, really—he knows Rin doesn’t like sweets, and yet—

And yet Rin has never found candy canes so appealing, not until he sees them between Haru’s lips.

He begins to associate the aggressive flavor of peppermint with Haru’s satisfaction, associates with the bite-sized mints with the candy canes sticking out of Haru’s mouth—just. Haru.

They’re on the couch, Rin sucking on yet another peppermint, when he begins to wonder if Haru isn’t conditioning him or something.

“Why all the peppermints all of a sudden?” he asks, his head on Haru’s shoulder while his boyfriend flips through a magazine.

Haru shrugs, disregarding that the motion pushes Rin from his comfortable position.

Rin squints at Haru. “That’s it? You plant a dozen of them around me for the past week and you have no solid reason?” Haru closes the magazine. “And why peppermints and not candy canes? I know you have plenty of them—”

“Stop talking, Rin.”

Haru looks at him evenly, brow arched elegantly. Rin frowns. “But—”

Haru reaches up, wrapping his hands around Rin’s face to pull him close. Rin is about to balk, determined to reach the bottom of this, when Haru’s lips press against his.

And because he’s a weak, weak man, Rin folds into the kiss immediately, one hand going to Haru’s waist and the other to push Haru’s jacket from his shoulder.

Haru’s tongue pushes against Rin’s lips; Rin opens them with a low moan, and he’s rewarded by Haru licking into his mouth.

Suddenly, Haru pulls away, rolling something around his teeth.

Blinking, Rin realizes: his mouth is empty.

“Did you just—” Rin starts

“Yes.”

Rin’s eyes narrow. Haru continues to suck on the peppermint.

“Is that what you were after.” It’s not a question. “This entire time.”

Haru smirks.

Rin sits there for a moment, nonplussed.

Then, his next decision makes itself quite clear.

He darts forward and kisses Haru, hard, pressing his lips open and looking for what Haru took. The flavor of peppermint seeps through their kiss, from their tongues and from the inside of their cheeks. It's sweet and biting, and all-consuming. It sharpens his senses, makes him push harder, until he’s pressing Haru into the arm of the sofa, until he has both hands at the small of Haru’s back, tracing patterns that make Haru pliable, that make Haru gasp a little into Rin’s mouth.

Finally, he wraps his tongue around the sweet, and he’s just about to pull away from the kiss in victory—

But Haru’s hands reach up to hold Rin in place, fingers tangling in his hair.

And then, well—then Haru just starts playing dirty. He rolls his hips up into Rin’s, and suddenly Rin’s problems just expanded from a simple seek-and-capture to something a little more complex. He moans into Haru’s mouth, and Haru takes advantage of his distraction and pulls away.

He hears the peppermint clacking behind Haru’s teeth.

Rin frowns. “You’re absolutely no fair,” he says.

There’s a glint in Haru’s eyes that Rin wishes he could resent a little more, but ultimately he just finds it unbearably attractive. “Maybe you’re just not trying hard enough.”

_O-h-o._

For a moment, the only thing that fills the silence is the sound of Haru rolling around the peppermint. Rin, carefully, slowly, begins to push his thigh between Haru’s legs. Haru’s mouth falls open, and Rin spots his opportunity, slotting his lips over Haru’s and taking his prize.

He pulls away the next second, leaving Haru dazed and bereft. “How’s that for trying hard enough?” He sticks the peppermint out on his tongue in triumph.

It’s altogether possible the encounter could have ended there. That they could have let it go, that Haru could have left the challenge for another time.

Except, no, it was never possible at all—not for them—and yet Rin still managed to be taken aback when Haru pushed them both back into the other side of the couch and picking up where he left off.

**Author's Note:**

> written for the 2014 rinharurin xmas exchange, for passequine. this was for her second request, which can basically be surmised as haru leaves peppermints for rin everywhere, hoping rin will get a hint that leads to minty kisses. 
> 
> i hope you enjoy, passequine! this was a lot of fun to write. <3


End file.
